All Good Things
by Seshat0120
Summary: A chapter of Sam's life draws to a close.
1. Chapter 1

**All Good Things**

_by Seshat0120_

_Disclaimer: Quantum Leap and all related characters are owned by Belisarius Productions and Universal. No profit has been made off of the writing or distribution of this piece of fiction._

One of the main things Sam hated about when he initially leaped into another person's life was how out of control he felt. This time as the leap effect faded, he realized just how true that feeling really was this time.

He was in the driver's seat of a car that seemed to be headed off the road and down an embankment. He quickly ascertained two facts. The first was that there was nothing he could do to gain control of the vehicle. All he could do was hold on tight for what appeared to be a very bumpy ride.

The second fact he was immediately aware of was that whomever he'd leaped into had not put on his…her?...seatbelt. This fact was brought home with painful clarity when he was tossed to the left and painfully cracked his head on the window. That brought a third fact to light – the window was not rolled down.

Through the spots in his vision, Sam saw a branch, no more than an inch and a half in diameter come through the shattered windshield. He did his best to duck out of its path but was unable to get very far and felt the sharp, fiery pain as he was impaled through the right shoulder by it. "Oh b….," he gasped before giving in to unconsciousness as the vehicle came to a stop.

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It was taking far too long to lock in on Sam's brainwaves. Al stood impatiently in the Imaging Chamber waiting for them to get the lock. Almost as fast as their current guest appeared in the Waiting Room, Ziggy had started to squeal that Sam was in some kind of danger. Al had gone running for the Imaging Chamber not caring about who was in the Waiting Room.

"Hurry it up, Gushie," he called out just as Sam's location snapped into view around him. He was in some brush at the bottom of a low embankment. The brush the whole way down the embankment gave the appearance of being recently disturbed by something large and heavy.

He didn't see his friend anywhere but he did see a car that looked like it had gone over the edge. He ran to it and stopped at the driver's door. "Sam!" he gasped out when he finally got a look at his friend.

Sam was sitting limply. Blood streaked down the side of his face from a jagged gash on the left side of his head. That wasn't what shocked Al, though. It was the branch that had impaled Sam through the right shoulder pinning him to the seat much as a pin held a butterfly to the wall.

He reached a hand out to check his friend's pulse forgetting for just a moment that he was a hologram. Uselessly, his hand passed through both the vehicle and his friend.

"Ziggy?" he yelled out wanting to know the situation of the man in front of him.

"Dr. Beckett has suffered a hairline skull fracture and has been impaled through the right shoulder by a branch," the computer quickly responded. For once, she didn't play any games with Al understanding the gravity of the situation.

"I can see that," Al growled back. "How is he? Is he…is he going to…" He trailed off unable to finish the question.

"Dr. Beckett's vital signs are somewhat erratic at the moment but they are starting to stabilize," the computer replied. "As to the question you didn't finish, yes, Dr. Beckett is going to expire." The computer waited a beat before tagging on, "All humans expire at some point although I do not believe Dr. Beckett has reached that point yet."

"Don't start, Ziggy," Al threatened in a low growl. He pushed a few buttons on the handlink and re-centered himself so it looked as if he were sitting in the passenger seat next to Sam.

"I am not 'starting' anything," Ziggy responded in a miffed voice. "I merely provided the data you requested."

"You don't have to be so literal," Al snarled. From this view, Sam looked no better than he had from outside the car. "Do you have any idea how long before he wakes up?"

"Negative, Admiral." Sensing that her answer would not be considered satisfactory to the Admiral, Ziggy added, "I suggest you try calling to him or talk to him. That may hasten his return to a state of consciousness."

"Thanks, Zig," Al replied gratefully. He understood that as stubborn and literal as the computer could be, she was trying to give him information that might be helpful to the man she called father. "You find out everything you can about what's going on here, you hear me. This is our top priority right now."

He didn't wait for a response. He put all thought of the parallel hybrid computer from his mind and, instead, concentrated solely on his friend. "Sam," he called out with authority in his voice. "You need to wake up now and stop sleeping on the job." He saw the smallest twitch of Sam's cheek. He didn't know if it was a response to his order or what but he kept calling out to the younger man.

Eventually, his patience was rewarded. Sam squeezed his eyes tightly shut before opening them and looking around slowly.

When his gaze fell on Al, the older man could see how glazed they were. He didn't need any advanced neurology training to know that the fact that Sam's pupils weren't equal in size meant he must have a pretty bad head injury.

Sam looked in his direction for a few moments and blinked his eyes several times. Al wasn't sure he would see him and fervently hoped the signal between them wasn't that scrambled.

"Al?" Sam finally questioned. "Yer blurrrry." His words were slow and slurred but at least he was able to see and, hopefully, hear Al.

"You hit that noggin' of yours pretty hard, Buddy," Al explained with a small smile of relief that Sam was awake and seemed to know who he was. "That's probably why it's fuzzy."

"Oh," Sam said softly. "Shoulda hurrtss." As he gave voice to the pain he was in, his hand started to explore the area encountering the branch that impaled him. He wrapped his hand around it to pull it out.

"No!" Al called out in alarm when he saw what Sam intended to do. "Don't touch that, Sam. Just leave it alone."

Almost in echo to Al's cry of alarm, the handlink started to beep and squeal shrilly in an attempt to get Al's attention. He glanced down at it and the information displayed on it. What he saw sent a chill down his spine and he again insisted Sam leave the branch alone. "Just don't touch it, Sammy." He made sure to keep his words slow and direct so that his friend could understand. "You can't pull it out. That's what the guy you leaped into did in the original history. He pulled that branch out then he bled to death before help could get to him."

"But hurts."

"I know it does, Kid," Al patiently replied but you need to leave it alone." When it didn't look like Sam was going to comply, Al decided to see if he could reason with him and reach the more practical side of his friend.

"Sam, Ziggy says that branch has nicked your brachial artery but as long as it stays there, it's keeping the bleeding to a minimum. Think about it," he implored. "What'll happen if you pull it out?"

Sam squinted his eyes as he tried to solve the puzzle Al had set for him. "Bleed more," he finally responded. "Too much."

"Yeah, that's right, Kid," Al answered relieved and proud that Sam's mind was still working. He'd stopped trying to pull the branch out although he still had his hand wrapped around it. "Now, I want you to put your hand down. Don't touch the branch anymore. Ok?"

Slowly Sam lowered his hand and rested it in his lap. "That's good, Sammy. Real good," Al praised. "Now promise me you won't touch it again," he prompted.

"Promise," Sam mumbled. He rubbed his free hand over his forehead and looked curiously at the blood that was on it. "Head hurts bad," he slowly told his friend squinting in his general direction.

Al looked at the next bit of information Ziggy supplied and bit back a deep sigh. "Yeah. I know it hurts, Sam. You hit it really hard." He didn't think it was necessary to tell Sam that in addition to the branch impaling him and the skull fracture Ziggy had pointed out, she was now also telling him that Sam most likely was developing a subdural hematoma.

"Why'm I here?" The missing windshield caught Sam's attention and he directed his question there.

Al debated how much he should tell Sam – how much the younger man could comprehend right now. Deciding it was probably best to keep Sam awake as long as possible, he started to tell him what they knew about the leap.

"Well, Sam, you leaped into Billy Torst and it's March 8, 1987…not that the date really means anything to you right now. Seems a deer jumped out in front of Billy's car and he swerved to miss it and went over the embankment."

"Told ya deer was gonna be death o'me," Sam joked remembering a time in the past, before he'd leaped, when deer kept appearing in front of his car.

"I know you did, Kid," Al agreed gently before his voice turned firm. "This ain't the one, though," he stressed. "We're not gonna let it be 'cause we're gonna do everything to make sure you come through this. You hear me?"

Sam nodded slightly in response to his friend. "So what gotta do?"

"Nothing, Sam," Al quickly informed him. "All you have to do is sit there and do absolutely nothing. In about two hours another driver's gonna go by and see where you went over and he's gonna call for help. A little while after that, the cavalry'll be here and they'll take care of everything. You just need to sit tight and not do anything. Can you do that for me, Sam? Can you just sit and do nothing?"

"Mmm…hmmm…do nothin'," Sam echoed. "Tha's good…don't feel like doin' anythin'."

The tone of Sam's voice worried Al even more than he already was. In just a few minutes, Sam seemed to have disconnected from reality somewhat and he decided it was in Sam's best interest to stay put with him. He'd no sooner come to that decision when he heard Gushie's voice calling to him to come to Control. "I'm kinda busy right now," he growled. "Can't this wait?"

Receiving an answer in the negative, Al turned his attention to Sam. "I need to go for just a few minutes, Sam, but I'll be right back. I promise. I want you just to sit there and don't do anything. Ok?"

"'K," Sam breathed out. "You come back."

"I will, Sam," Al reassured. "It's just gonna be a few minutes and remember, you promised not to touch that branch." Seeing the small nod Sam gave in response, Al keyed open the Imaging Chamber door. With one backward glance at his friend, he walked out the door.

1


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"This better be good," Al growled as he came down the ramp into Control. He saw the grave looks on the faces of all gathered and felt that chill race down his spine again.

It fell on Verbena to speak for the group. "Right now the likelihood of Sam surviving until rescue workers can get to him and get him to medical facilities isn't looking good," she stated simply.

Al silently took in what she said then turned his anger on the now silent computer. "What the hell?" he shouted looking up at the orb that represented Ziggy. "You said if he didn't pull out that branch like Torst did in the original history he wouldn't bleed to death?"

"That is true, Admiral," Ziggy stated in a superior tone of voice. "Dr. Beckett will not bleed to death. The head injury he's suffered, however, will hasten his demise. The subdural hematoma that is forming will put pressure on his brain and that will cause his death. Mr. Torst did not suffer a similar injury."

Al was struck silent by the news Ziggy had just announced. A multitude of emotions was crashing through him. Fear for his friend and anger that after all the good he'd done, it was going to end like this being the two uppermost. He wouldn't accept that this was it, though. Not while there was still a breath in his body. "So what?" he asked, his anger winning out. "Am I supposed to go in there and tell him that that's it, he's gonna die? And what about Torst? Do we just say, 'oops, sorry but you're stuck a decade outta time and you've got some other guys face?'

"If Dr. Beckett does indeed expire, Mr. Torst will most likely return to his own time," Ziggy replied helpfully.

"Can it you hunk of junk," Al ordered. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. There had to be something they could do to get Sam out of this situation. Getting angry at Ziggy was not it. He just refused to accept that this was how it was going to end for his friend.

"Ok," he said calmly once he opened his eyes. "We need to figure some way to get Sam out of this and we don't have a lot of time. Now think, everyone."

There was silence in Control as everyone tried to find a solution for the impossible. Al finally broke the silence. "What if we try retrieval again," he asked slowly. "Ziggy, what are the odds on the retrieval program working if we tried it right now."

"The odds are less than twenty percent that we will affect a successful retrieval," the computer immediately responded.

Al scowled at the odds. Twenty percent just wasn't good enough – not when Sam's life was at stake. "Tina, what about those modifications you were talking about for the retrieval program? Have you implemented them yet?"

"No. There hasn't been time," she replied in a breathless, little-girl voice.

"Then get on it, pronto. That's now your top priority. Nothing else exists for you."

Tina quickly scurried away to follow Al's orders. Even if her own worry for Sam hadn't motivated her, the way Al spoke would have.

"How 'bout now, Ziggy? What are the odds of retrieval with Tina's modifications?"

"Approximately forty-five percent but I must point out that there is also a very strong chance that instead of being retrieved Dr. Beckett may simply leap to another life."

Al carefully weighed what he'd been told then growled, "I'll take it." Seeing the quizzical looks around him he explained, "Sam's never carried injuries from one leap to another. I'm gonna gamble that's not gonna change."

Now that they at least had a goal to work toward, Al felt it best that everyone know what task they were responsible for and started barking out orders "Even though Sam's never carried injuries when he leaps, there's a good chance if we're retrieving him and pulling him back here he might. 'Bena, I want a full med team ready if that happens and make sure there's a chopper on standby to get him to a hospital as soon as we get him back here." He wasn't about to allow himself to believe that they wouldn't be anything but successful with the retrieval.

As Verbena ran off to get ready for Sam's possible return, Al turned his attention to Gushie. "As soon as Tina's done, you run the retrieval program ASAP. I don't want any delays."

"Do you want to be told before it's run," the nervous, little man asked.

"I said no delays. The rest of you," Al continued taking in everyone in control, "do your jobs and make sure this works. We're all Sam's got right now." He started back up the ramp to the Imaging Chamber. "How long, Ziggy?" he asked as he waited for the door to open.

"I predict Dr. Beckett will expire in approximately one hour, forty seven minutes, and six seconds unless he receives medical care," the computer responded correctly guessing what Al had been asking.

"Great, just in time for help to get to him," Al said softly before continuing in a stronger voice, "Not on my watch." He entered the Imaging Chamber and was immediately taken back to the time Sam occupied. He quickly centered himself in the car next to his friend.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"I'm back Kid," Al said softly as he looked at Sam. In the short time he'd been gone; it looked as if the younger man's condition had deteriorated even more. Al couldn't remember ever seeing him so pale.

Sam didn't seem to notice his arrival at first and was humming snatches of a lullaby. His wandering gaze stopped on Al and his humming stopped. He looked at his friend silently for a few seconds then spoke. His words were slow and still slurred. "Fel' like more'n a few minutes."

"Sorry about that Kid. I…uh…I had to take care of something but I'm back now and I'm not going anywhere."

"Don' like this leap, Al. Hurss too much."

Al longed to be able to touch his friend to offer aid for his injuries. Most of all, he wished he could simply offer Sam the comfort of touch. "Just a little while longer, Kid. I promise."

A lopsided smile briefly flashed across Sam's face. "Always keep promises."

"Yeah, Kid. I sure try." Al did his best to return Sam's smile with one of his own but it was hard. He knew each moment that went by was bringing Sam closer and closer to death and there wasn't a damned thing he could do about it right now. All he could do was be there and keep him company.

"'S'ok, Al. I know yer tryin'." Sam made an aborted attempt to reach to Al with his uninjured left arm but even that movement sent fiery bolts of pain through him. "Don' be sad."

"Ah, Kid," Al sighed. "You're always worrying about everyone else."

Sam tried to shift in the seat but all it accomplished was jostling his injured shoulder. He gasped as he was assailed by still more pain and grimaced. Pain-induced tears started to leak from his eyes. "Easy, Kid," Al comforted. "Just try to stay still and not move around."

Sam nodded slightly and tilted his head so he could better see Al. Again, the lopsided smile appeared just briefly. "Need get yer act t'gether."

"Get my act together?" Al questioned. He was afraid that Sam's strange words were a symptom that the head injury was getting worse.

"Yeah, then there won' be two o'you." Sam huffed out a small laugh and Al was relieved that instead of the head injury getting worse, Sam's words had proved that his sense of humor was still intact. Of course, the fact that he was seeing double was worrying.

"There's just more of me to love that way," Al tried to joke back although his heart really wasn't in it.

There was quiet between the two men for a few minutes. The silence was only broken by the sounds of nature around the two men and Sam's rough breathing. "Love you," Sam murmured after a while. When he saw the look his statement got from Al, he tried again to smile but it didn't come quite as easily this time. "Don' worry…not tha' way. Yer m'friend…m'brother."

Al was touched by Sam's words. As hurt as the younger man was, as much as he was suffering, he was still reaching out to his friend in the only way he could. "I know, Sammy. It goes both ways, Kid."

"'M tired and hurs so much. Don' wanna hurt no more." Sam stopped for breath and licked his dry lips. "More wrong. Somethin' wrong here," he said as he raised his left hand to tap at his head lightly.

Al looked down and away for just a moment. He should have known Sam would figure out something was wrong. His friend was just too smart not to. "Yeah, Sam," he agreed. "Ziggy says there's a subdural hematoma." He was willing to give Sam the information he was looking for but he was not going to tell him what Ziggy had said about his chances of surviving. The kid didn't need to know that.

It didn't matter if he offered that information to Sam or not. He was too smart not to figure it out on his own. "Not gonna get here in time," the inured man said. "Don' wanna hurt no more."

"I know, Sam. You've hurt too much, Kid. Too much for one man." Al couldn't find it in him to contradict Sam's assessment. They'd built a friendship on trust and he was not going to start lying to his friend now. If this was going to be the end, it was going to end the same way their friendship had always gone – with the two of them being honest with each other and trusting each other.

Al watched as Sam's left hand came up once again and wrapped around the branch that impaled his shoulder. It felt like there was a block of ice in the pit of his stomach as he asked, "Sam, what are you doing, Buddy. You promised not to touch that anymore."

"I know," Sam agreed but didn't put down his hand. "Don' wanna hurt no more…not 'nough time." He took a firm hold on the branch. "Won' hurt…just go t'sleep."

Al made an aborted attempt to grab Sam's hand and pull it away from the offending piece of wood. "No, Sam. No," he said firmly. "You made a promise to me. You gonna start breaking your promises now?"

Al's words struck Sam and he hesitated for just a second then wrapped his hand more securely around the branch. "Forgive me," he said as clearly as he could before pulling sharply on the branch. It didn't move more than a fraction of an inch the first time he pulled at it but a trickle of blood started to seep around the edges. Gritting his teeth, Sam gave another pull and branch came free from his shoulder as he groaned in pain. As soon as it was free, blood start to pour from the wound – bright red arterial blood.

"God, Sam!" Al shouted. "What the hell? What the hell did you do, Sammy." Knowing there was no turning back now – no way to undo what Sam had done, he gentled his voice. "There's nothing to forgive, Sam, nothing." Seeing that his words were upsetting the younger man more than they comforted, he continued, "I forgive you, Sam." His words of absolution brought a gentle, innocent smile to his friend's face.

"Don't leave me," Sam said when he received the absolution he'd sought. He'd made the decision to pull the branch out knowing full well what it would most likely mean for him but he didn't want to be alone when the end came.

"I'm not going anywhere, Sammy. I'm gonna be right here." Al did his best to blink back the tears he felt pricking at his eyes. He just couldn't believe what Sam had done. It didn't look like it made any difference now what they did.

Sam did his best to keep his gaze leveled at his friend. When he'd pulled the branch out he'd felt a sharp, fiery pain but now he was starting to feel numb all over. Even the pain in his head seemed to be lessening. "Don' cry, Al," he implored. "It's ok…doesn't hurt." He could feel the blood flowing from the wound but didn't look at it. Instead, he just kept looking at his friend.

Again, there was silence between the two men. Al just didn't know what to say and Sam was fast losing any energy to speak. His vision was starting to get even worse and a tiredness like none he'd ever felt was taking over his body. "Jus' gonna sleep," he forced out as he felt his eyes slip closed.

"Oh God, Sam, no," Al softly said when he saw Sam's eyes drift closed. He watched the rise and fall of his friend's chest. As long he could see that movement he knew there was a chance no matter how slim it was.

He wasn't sure if Sam could hear him but there was something he had to say now before it was too late. "I love you too, Kid." He could barely see the other man through the tears that were now filling his eyes. He did his best to fight them and continued in a choked voice, "You're my best friend, the little brother I never had, and the son I always wanted all wrapped into one. I wouldn't be here without you, Sam. I want you to know that."

As he'd done once before when Sam had been injured on a leap, Al turned to God to save his friend. "I know I only come to you when I need something," he began, "but I can't lose him now. Please, God, don't let me lose him. He's done so much good for so many people. He doesn't deserve to die like this with no one to even offer him comfort. You can't do this. Please, God, please, don't take him now."

As his prayer ended, the view around him fuzzed out much like a TV signal affected by static. The signal between Sam and him was weakening. It cleared up for a second before again getting fuzzy. This time it didn't clear up and few seconds later, the view around Al suddenly vanished to be replaced by the walls of the Imaging Chamber. "No!" he screamed out. He didn't try to check the tears that fell this time.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

He was moving, or at least it felt like he was moving, at a great speed. Beneath him, Sam could see the earth rushing by but, oddly, he didn't feel any of his usual fear of heights.

_I must be dying_, he thought, _because this doesn't feel like any leap I've ever been through_

It wasn't much like what he thought dying would be like either. For one thing, there was pain – a lot of pain. He knew that there could be pain before dying but he'd never thought the actual process of crossing over would be painful.

He couldn't decide what was hurting more: his shoulder that felt like there was a hot poker through it or his head that felt like it was going to explode. In fact, he was wishing that it would explode because then everything would stop hurting. At least when he was in the blue void of a leap there was no pain.

As quickly as he became aware of the feeling of movement, it suddenly stopped and he felt himself descending at a furious rate of speed. He tried to yell out in fear then but he couldn't make a sound. _Apparently_, he thought, _death is silent._

The downward movement came to a sudden stop. When it did, the pain escalated to unbearable proportions then everything went black.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

"You get me back with Sam," Al hollered out. "Do it now. Center me on Sam." Al refused to believe that his friend was gone – that he'd died. If he had to stay in the Imaging Chamber for the rest of his life demanding that he'd be centered on Sam instead of going out there and facing a world without his friend that's exactly what he'd do.

He brushed his hand across his face wiping away the tears that were falling from his eyes but more replaced them. "Do it, Ziggy. Center me on Sam." This time he didn't so much order, as plead.

He was surprised when the blue walls around him began to change and a hologram replaced them. "Sam?" he questioned softly. The image had too much interference for him clearly to see anything. "Boost the signal," he demanded.

Almost instantly, the view came into sharp focus just as alarms started to sound throughout the complex. It took Al just a few seconds to understand what he was seeing and when he did, he pulled in a sharp breath.

He could barely make out Sam lying on the floor and surrounded by at least a half dozen people who were feverishly working on him. That could mean only one thing – Sam was still alive. Not only was he alive, but Al recognized where Sam was and who the people around him were. He was in the waiting room and the people were the Project's medical team. They'd done it. They'd brought Sam home. But was it in time.

Al keyed open the Imaging Chamber door. He didn't wait for it to rise completely before ducking under it and running for the Waiting Room. Sam was here and he was fighting to live. He'd seen that with his own eyes. Now he had to be there where he could reach out and actually touch his friend.

He burst into the Waiting Room but stopped short before getting too close. He could see that the medical team was working at a frantic pace and he didn't want to do anything to get in their way.

"Get that line in," 'Bena commanded. "We need to get his fluids up. What's his BP at Carol?" Although controlled, Al could hear an underlying panic in her voice.

The med-team got Sam as stabilized as they could then moved him to a gurney. The gurney was moved out to the waiting chopper and Al followed close behind. "There's not going to be enough room for you to come with us," Verbena said to Al as the gurney was loaded.

Al nodded shortly. "You take care of him," were his parting words before he ran for his car.

As he unlocked the door, he felt a tap on his arm and turned to see Gooshie standing there. "I'd like to come with you," he asked nervously.

Al appreciated that Gooshie would want to be there for Sam but there was too much that needed to be taken care of here at the project. "I need you here, Gooshie," he told the man. When he saw his crestfallen look, he added on, "Ziggy needs to get into whatever computers necessary to make this look like nothing more than an accident. I want you to make sure it gets done right."

"Ok, Admiral," Gooshie agreed. "You'll keep us updated?

"As soon as I know anything, I'll call you." Al got in the car and as soon as Gooshie was out of the way, he took off out of the parking lot as fast as he dared.

It was about a two hour drive to the hospital in Albuquerque. The chooper with Sam would get there long before that. Al was determined that the trip would not take him two hours even if it meant breaking every speed limit along the way.

An hour and a half later, he was running into the ER. He saw Verbena in the waiting room and went over to her. "How is he? Where is he?" he demanded. His one fear was that in the time he was separated from Sam, the kid would have lost his fight.

"He's in surgery," Verbena told him trying to remain calm in the face of Al's near-panic. "It's probably going to be a while. They said there's a waiting room on the same floor as the OR and we can wait there." She gave Al a small, sad mile. "I thought it best to meet you here."

They two went up to the waiting room and setting in for what they knew was going to be a long wait.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Too many hours and too many cups of bad hospital coffee later, a doctor came into the waiting room asking if anyone was there for Sam. Al quickly jumped up and greeted the woman. "How is he? Is he..." He trailed off unable to finish the question at the forefront of his mind.

The doctor closed the door to the waiting room and gestured for Al to sit once more. "My name's Jean Sotin. I'm the neurosurgeon who's been treating your friend." Seeing the expectant look on both Al's and Verbena's face, she decided to skip over any other pleasantries.

"Mr. Beckett's in recovery right now. It was touch and go for a while but he made it through the surgery. I removed the hematoma and now will be monitoring him closely to make sure there's no buildup of inter-cranial pressure. Likely, he'll be unconscious for the next several days."

"Can I see him," Al asked. He was eager to see with his own eyes that Sam was alive and home.

"He'll be moved to ICU shortly," Dr. Sotin replied. "Once he's settled someone will bring you up to his room."

"Will there be any lasting damage?" Verbena asked.

"We don't know right now and won't know until he regains consciousness."

"What...what kind of damage are we talking about/" Al asked uneasily. It just wouldn't be fair to get the kid home only for him to be left impaired.

"Again," Dr. Sotin explained, "we won't know anything for certain until he's awake. The list of problems he could face because of this is a pretty extensive one or he might wake up with no effects. We just can't say anything for certain until he wakes up."

"Ok, so we wait," Al sighed. Waiting was not his favorite past time but he'd been waiting this long for his friend to get home. He could wait a little longer. "What about his shoulder"

"The damage to his shoulder has been repaired," Sotin explained. "It was mostly soft tissue damage. He will need physical therapy for it, though." He looked between Al and Verbena. "Do either of you have any more questions?"

Verbena shook her head but Al had one more. "When can I see him?" he anxiously inquired again. He'd only been able to see Sam for a very brief time in the Waiting Room before he'd been whisked away to the waiting helicopter. Now he wanted to see with his own eyes that Sam was really home.

"A nurse will be down to bring you to his room as soon as he's been moved out of recovery."

"Once he's moved, can I stay with him?" Al knew from the past that Sam responded better when there was a familiar voice talking to him. Somehow, it reached through and lead the younger man back.

"Sam will in the ICU. Access there is generally restricted but I'm going to make an exception. I firmly believe a patient in a coma responds better when there are familiar people around. I'm going to allow you unlimited visiting time as long as you don't interrupt the nurses.

"Thanks." Al was grateful he wouldn't have to fight to spend as much time as he wanted with Sam.

"If there's nothing else," Dr. Sotin said. When both Al and Verbena indicated there were no other questions, she took her leave reiterating to Al that a nurse would be down soon.

Shortly after the doctor left, a nurse came and showed Al to the room Sam was in. Verbena left telling Al she'd be by tomorrow to check on Sam.

After hearing the news that his friend was comatose, he'd been certain that that meant he'd have a machine breathing for him. He was pleasantly surprised when he walked in the room and saw that Sam was breathing on his own with the aid of oxygen. His head was swathed in white bandages from the surgery and his injured right arm was immobilized.

After the nurse left the room, Al cautiously approached the bed. He looked down at his friend lying so still in the bed. He was home finally. His leaping had ended but this wasn't how Al had hoped it would happen. He still wasn't certain why the retrieval program, even with the modifications Tina had made, worked now when it had failed all the other times. He had to believe that whatever force had been leaping Sam around had wanted him to go home. He only hoped that meant he'd be home for good.

He pulled the lone chair in the room over by the bed and sat down. Picking up Sam's limp left hand from the bed, he cradled it between his own and started talking quietly to the younger man. Dr. Sotin had advised him to talk to Sam assuring him that he could hear. He reassured his friend that his leaping had come to an end and that he was home for good. He hoped the reassurance would reach Sam and draw him back to the waking world.

Al kept up his vigil by Sam's bedside as long as he was permitted to stay there. Aside from reassuring Sam that he was home, he talked about their shared past. He recounted every humerous story he could remember and embellished others when he couldn't. Sometimes he just pleaded with his friend to wake up and prove to everyone that he'd be just fine.

Four days after Sam had been retrieved, Al's patience was rewarded when the younger man opened his eyes and looked in his direction. "Al," he breathed out softly.

"Yeah, it's me, Kid," Al quickly said once more picking up Sam's hand. He saw how the younger man's eyes widened as soon as he felt his touch. "You're home, Sammy. We got you home," he quickly explained.

"Home?" Sam questioned, his voice breaking on the word. "Thought I died."

"No. No," Al quickly disagreed. "You came close but you're didn't." He lowered the rail on the side of the bed and sat on the edge of the mattress. "They had to operate on you," he started to explain slowly, "because you had a blood clot in your head and they had to fix up your shoulder. You've been asleep for a couple of days."

"Operate?" Sam extricated his hand from Al's grip and reached to feel the bandage on his head. He voice sounded lost and confused.

Gently, Al pulled Sam's hand away from his head. "Yeah, Buddy, they had to operate. I know it all seems confusing to you right now but I just want you to remember one thing. You're home now and everything is going to work out." He gave Sam a gentle smile meant to calm him. "You think you can do that for me?"

Sam slowly nodded his head. "I'm home," he repeated.

"That's right." Gently Al got up from the bed and snapped the rail back in place. "Right now I've got to let them know you've woken up. Your doctor's probably gonna wanna do some tests or something."

"Ok," Sam said slowly as he nodded his head slightly. "You'll stay, right."

"Yeah, I'll stay. I'm not going anywhere this time, Sammy, just gonna poke my head out the door and let the nurse know."

Al was gone from Sam's bedside only for the time it took to notify one of the nurses that his friend was awake and talking. It wasn't long after that that Sam's doctor showed up to examine him. Several tests were ordered and they took up most of the rest of the day. When they were done, the Dr. Sotin assured them that there was be no lasting damage. Sam just needed some time to heal. Al let out a sigh of relief when he heard the news. Even after Sam had woken up and talked with him, he'd been afraid there'd be lasting damage from the injury.

3


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Now that Sam was awake, Al was no longer allowed to keep his round the clock vigil and was restricted to only being with him during regular visiting hours.

Although out of the coma, Sam still slept a good deal of the time as his body healed. It was nearly a week later before he was strong enough to be awake for longer periods of time. "What happens now?" he asked during one of his wakeful times.

"Well, the doc says you're going to be here at least another week," Al responded not really understanding what Sam's question meant.

"No. I mean what happens now that I'm not leaping anymore," Sam clarified.

"You're probably going to have to go through some debriefing," Al suggested. "After that, it's up to you what you want to do. I expect you'll want to spend some time with your family."

"Mom!" Sam said in excitement as soon as Al mentioned family. "I can see Mom and Katie and....Tom?"

"Yeah, Kid," Al answered with a smile when Sam remembered his brother. "You can see them all including Tom." He'd wondered how much Sam would remember about his leaping or his time before he began to leap. So far, based on some of what he'd said since waking up, it seemed he only remembered the past that he'd created. He hadn't said anything about remembering anything about the leaps but based on the questioning note when he said Tom's name, Al suspected that he remembered at least some of them.

Al had been relieved that his friend wasn't going to be saddled with multiple sets of memories about the same history. It was so much easier if there was only the one set for him to assimilate.

"What does my family know about this?" Sam asked anxiously. It was only then he realized that they hadn't been there at all since he woke up.

"Right now, nothing." Al fidgeted slightly at the look Sam gave him. "I didn't want to bring them out here until we knew better where things stood with you. Now that you're awake, and it seem like most of your memories are intact, I'll give them a call when I get out of here. I bet they'll be here tomorrow to see you."

"Tomorrow?" Sam said swallowing heavily. "I can see my family tomorrow." Al rested his hand on Sam's shoulder rubbing comfortingly. "What are you going to tell them?" Sam asked once he'd brought his emotions under control.

"The truth," Al responded. "Or as much of the truth as we can," he amended seeing the surprised look on Sam's face. "Right now everyone thinks you were in a car accident, and you were. Ziggy's gone through and changed any computer records necessary to make it look like the accident happened in this timeframe and it looks like everything's worked out so far. That's what we're going to tell your family.

"Ok," Sam agreed. "I just don't want to lie to them unless it's necessary."

"You won't have to. They know you've been on a secret project for the last couple of years and that's why you haven't been able to contact them. That should be enough."

"That's good," Sam said. He smiled up at Al. "I get to see my family tomorrow and I'm finally home."

"You sure are, Kid." As he agreed with Sam, Al bent over and did the one thing he'd wanted to do since Sam had first woken up but hadn't for fear of hurting him. He pulled his friend into a firm hug. "Welcome home, Sammy."

Sam returned the embrace as firmly as he could with one good arm. "It's good to be home, Al. Thanks for never giving up on me."

The two men remained in the embrace for another minute before they mutually let go. Al took a step back and looked critically at Sam. "You look like you're getting tired again and it's time for me to get going before they chase me out of here."

"You'll call Mom, right?"

"First thing I'm going to do when I get home." Al helped Sam to lie back and pulled the blankets up over him. "You better get some rest so you're prepared for them." He gave a squeeze to Sam's hand and stepped back from the bed. "Have a good night, Sammy."

"You too, Al," Sam said around a yawn. Al knew it wouldn't be long before he'd be down for the count again. He waited until his friend's eyes closed before he left the room.

As the door closed behind him, Al took a deep breath and let it out slowly. They'd closed the book on Sam's leaping and tomorrow when his family arrived - he was under no illusion that Thelma Beckett wouldn't be on the first plane as soon as she heard what had happened - Sam would start a new chapter of his life. Al was determined that no matter what that chapter was, he'd be right there by his friend's side just as he'd always been.

The end....or the beginning

2


End file.
